Week Four of April
Cleveland Indians: 25th, 26th, & 27th of April
Near the end of 2015, the Cleveland Indians were not far behind the Minnesota Twins in the chase towards the wild card. Many people forget that the Cleveland Indians were considered by some to be the favorites of the AL Central going into the 2015 season. Though post-season hopes were quickly dashed by their lackluster beginning, the Indians were eventually able to right the ship. Part of their second half success was the call-up of shortstop Francisco Lindor. The Indians have a strong rotation, and have begun to show life on the offensive side of the game. Though Minnesota took 12 of the 19 games they played against Cleveland in 2015, expect Cleveland to pose a bigger threat to the Twins this season.
Prediction: Series Loss
Detroit Tigers: 29th, & 30th of April
Minnesota caps off the month of April with a pair of games against the division rival Detroit Tigers. In 2015, the games against Detroit were some of the most memorable games of the season. A fan favorite of 2015 was a 9th inning seven run comeback on July 10th. After that great match-up Torii Hunter stated, “I think we smelled blood, tasted it a little bit, and we locked on.” In contrast to the highlights, the Tigers were also the team that held Minnesota scoreless for the first 24.1 innings of the 2015 season. Detroit is looking to contend in 2016, and expects to see improvements due to a healthy return of Justin Verlander and a much improved bullpen. The Tigers won 11 of the 19 games against Minnesota in 2015, and there isn’t much to suggest that the Twins will have a better chance of edging them out this season.
Prediction: Series Loss